This invention relates to spinning machines, for example, ring spinning machines, including a plurality of spinning locations serviced by automatically traveling servicing carriages. Such servicing carriages may travel along the various spinning locations and include sensor mechanisms for the detection of broken threads and possibly an accommodation for a human operator. Whenever the thread sensor detects a malfunction or a missing thread at a particular spinning location, the service carriage stops and thus affords the human operator the possibility to repair the thread breakage. In some other cases, the service mechanism is entirely automatic and the carriage travels along the spinning locations and automatically repairs broken threads. Traveling cleaners which travel along the spinning machine and which blow dust and other deposits from the machinery could also be regarded as servicing mechanisms.
Under certain operational conditions of the spinning machine, the presence of the servicing mechanisms within the region of the spinning locations is a hindrance. For example, whenever full cops are removed and empty bobbins are replaced, the presence of servicing mechanisms or carriages is an impediment. This is particularly true when the exchange of bobbins takes place by automatic bobbin change devices located at each and every spinning location and simultaneously for all the spinning locations on one side of the machine. Such an automatic exchange of bobbins can only take place after any servicing mechanism or carriage which may have been present in this region has departed. Thus, after the cops of a particular machine have been filled up and could, in principle, be exchanged for empty bobbins, the production process may be delayed by the presence of any servicing mechanism still in the range of the spinning locations.